Chapter 3 - The Heartbeat
The private medical suite inside the mansion had become a battlefield of another kind.
Machines beeped.
Doctors whispered.
Nurses moved quickly.
Mia lay beneath white sheets while an ultrasound technician carefully examined the baby.
Victoria stood behind the glass.
She watched the monitor.
One tiny heartbeat.
Fast.
Strong.
Alive.
Victoria closed her eyes.
For years, she had convinced herself that power could solve anything.
She had built corporations.
Bought competitors.
Destroyed hostile takeovers.
Negotiated with billionaires.
But none of those skills mattered now.
Not when her little sister was lying behind a glass door.
A doctor finally stepped out.
"She's stable."
Victoria exhaled.
"And the baby?"
"Strong heartbeat. There was significant trauma, but at this moment, we don't see signs of immediate danger."
Victoria's shoulders dropped.
"Thank God."
The doctor hesitated.
"She needs rest. No stress."
Victoria almost laughed bitterly.
"She's married into the Vance family."
The doctor understood.
"Then perhaps it's time to change that."
Victoria looked through the glass.
Mia was sleeping.
The younger woman had spent years trying to earn acceptance from people who never intended to give it.
Victoria had allowed that to happen.
And she hated herself for it.
Because the truth was painful.
She had left this family years ago.
She had escaped Eleanor.
Mia had stayed behind.
Victoria had built an empire.
Mia had endured the ruins.
That night, Victoria made herself a promise.
May you like
She would never leave Mia alone again.
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